Do the swedish really wait for the bus like this?

Most people probably recognizes this picture. But do the swede really wait for the bus like this?
As a swedish person, my answer is yes and here's my take on why we do this. (take into consideration that I am no expert)

Laws

In any society there are a set of rules to abide by and conform to in order to blend in or stay out of trouble. Most of these rules are laws which are written down and are easy to find out. Most people also follows these laws, such as not steal or not kill someone.

Unwritten rules/norms

social norms – much of a person’s behavior is influenced by their perceptions of what is “normal” or “typical.”
These norms usually vary from society to society and even on smaller scales such as families. For instance in my family it'd be considered normal for me to help with cooking. While in other family it might be the mother that does the cooking on her own because it's an unwritten rule/agreement.

Swedish norms

In the Swedish society, we usually keep an arms-length distance when talking to someone else. Swedes are quite reserved about personal space and if you get too close, you will probably see that the Swede will start to back off.

Back to the original question

The bus station situation is a result of the two first person not knowing each other. When the second person comes to wait for the bus, were he to stand to close it would imply he intends on starting a discussion something a swede wishes to avoid at all cost.
What follows afterwards is the work of peer pressure, if the two first person waiting for the bus are standing 3 meters from each other, the third person would also stand 3 meters away from the second in line, and so on and so on...